


I Am Not Like You

by dS_Tiff



Category: due South
Genre: Episode Related: Season 01 Episode 05 - Pizzas and Promises, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 15:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4840508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dS_Tiff/pseuds/dS_Tiff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the events of 'Pizzas and Promises', Ray receives a visit from an unwanted guest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Am Not Like You

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short missing scene fic in honour of Ray Vecchio Day. I hope you enjoy it. All comments welcome. Thank you kindly.

“Is that my best suit?”

Ray closed his eyes and prayed that his mind was playing tricks on him. He was looking forward to this little undercover mission – not that he’d ever let on to Benny – and he did not want his father to spoil things. He opened his eyes and slowly turned around.

“It is! I married your Ma in that suit!”

Ray sighed. “Go away, Pop. I’m busy.” Benny was waiting for him and Ray knew they needed to hurry before Lenny’s lime-green Comet disappeared forever. He threw the blue suit over to the bed where he’d already put the red one.

“You were meant to bury me in that suit.” The ghost of Pa Vecchio jabbed his finger at his son to make his point.

“Yeah, well, Ma decided to bury you in that stinky leather jacket instead,” retorted Ray, glancing over his shoulder at the unwelcome visitor. “Saved us the job of burning it.”

Pa Vecchio shook his head slowly, a disappointed look on his face which was all too familiar to Ray.

Except this time Ray didn’t care if he disappointed his father. He hadn’t cared for a long time, even before his old man was six feet under Ray had come to the realisation that his father’s approval did not matter to him. It was an epiphany that lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. 

Of course Ray assumed that he wouldn’t have to face his Pa again after he’d died, but apparently that wasn’t quite how things worked.

“Well I’m glad you finally found some fashion sense,” Pa Vecchio sneered. “You waste your money on labels.”

“You’re right, Pop,” nodded Ray, sarcastically as he held up two shirts he’d found, trying to decide between them. “Why buy Armani when I could buy a high quality polyester suit from a guy who, for some unexplained reason, trades from the bathroom of a pool hall.”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at, Raymondo,” shrugged Pa. “Nothing wrong with cutting out the middle man.”

Ray shook his head sadly. Had his father ever done anything legal in his life? Ray didn’t care any more. He was dead, it didn’t matter. Nothing his father had ever done mattered now. Not if Ray really tried hard not to let it.

“Well this has been a great father and son chat, but you can go now,” snapped Ray. He quickly removed his shirt and slipped one of the garishly patterned ones over his head. He moved to the full length mirror and did up the top buttons. Then he immediately unbuttoned them again so his white undershirt was clearly visible. A smile spread across his face. Yes, this was definitely the look he was going for. He turned and picked up the blue suit jacket, discarding the trousers onto the floor in a crumpled heap.

“What are you getting all dressed up for anyway?” asked Pa, slowly circling his son as he got changed.

“Police business,” replied Ray.

“I might have known,” Pa answered, his voice dripping with distaste.

“If you must know, Benny and I are going undercover as used car salesmen,” Ray began to explain. “And I thought to myself, where am I going to get the kind of cheap, nasty outfits that lowlifes like that would wear. Then it came to me in a flash. Your closet.”

“Very funny,” snarled Pa. 

“I’m only wearing the jacket,” Ray continued. “Your pants are two sizes too big for me.”

“Blame your Ma,” replied Pa. “All that pasta she insisted on shoving down my throat.”

Ray swallowed hard. It took every ounce of Ray’s self-control not to react. It was at times like these that he wished his Pa was still alive…so he could punch him in the face. Ma’s cooking was the best he’d ever tasted, better than any restaurant, how dare his father be so derogatory?

“I think it probably has more to do with all that hooch you insisted on pouring down your neck,” Ray finally retorted.

His father said nothing. 

“Isn’t there a card game going on in purgatory you should be at?” sighed Ray. He wanted to finish getting ready in peace and he still needed to think of car salesman names for himself and Benny and come up with a backstory for each of them. He was torn between ‘Billy-Bob’ and ‘Jimmy’ for Benny, but he was leaning towards ‘Billy-Bob’ just because he knew Benny would hate it. 

Ray was concerned that Benny was going to blow their cover – for some reason he had a real problem with saying anything that wasn’t the truth – but Ray hoped the prospect of catching a car thief would be enough to kick the Mountie into action. This was police business, after all. They weren’t deceiving honest people, they were deceiving criminals. Surely that didn’t break any Mountie Rules?

“Is the Mountie going to wear the red one?” asked Pa.

Ray gritted his teeth. “Yeah, not that it’s any of your business,” he replied. “Red looks better on him than me. Now will you please get outta my face?”

“Don’t think you can get rid of me that easily,” Pa answered. “I want to see this. You and the Canuck playing dress-up and trying to fool people, it’s gonna be the biggest laugh I’ve had since I died.”

That was the last straw. Ray spun round and crossed the room until he was almost nose to nose with his father. “It’s not a game, Pop!” he yelled. “We have a job to do and I don’t want you around screwing things up! Now quit bugging me and crawl back into whatever hell-hole you came from.”

Pa was slightly stunned at Ray’s outburst. He watched in silence as Ray opened his old, leather jewellery box and pulled out a gold St. Christopher pendant on a chain and a chunkier gold curb chain for ‘Billy-Bob’. 

Pa wondered for a moment why his family hadn’t sold all his gold jewellery after his death. He knew he would have sold his wife’s jewellery before her body was even cold if she had died before him. He’d never understood the point of sentimentality. That money could have been put to good use.

Finally Ray was ready. He checked himself in the mirror, applied one more layer of hair gel and then, like a sudden bolt from the blue, it hit him just how much like his father he looked. He hadn’t expected it at all. Of course Ray knew he had the Vecchio nose, you couldn’t miss that, but now he was dressed in his father’s old clothes the resemblance was truly terrifying.

“Looking good, Raymondo.” Pa’s voice was as oily as Ray’s hair.

“I am not like you,” hissed Ray. “I’m wearing your old clothes, that’s all. Doesn’t mean I’m about to go out and find some women and children to slap around. Doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly lost all respect for the law, doesn’t mean… ” 

“OK, OK, you can shut up now,” snapped Pa.

“What’s the matter, Pop?” For the briefest second Ray thought he’d finally seen a glimpse of his father’s true feelings and apparently he did not like the mini character assassination Ray had unleashed. “Too close to the truth for you? Huh?”

Pa said nothing.

“I am not like you,” said Ray again quietly as if he needed to remind himself. He closed his eyes again and repeated the mantra over and over in his mind. When he finally opened them this time the ghost had disappeared. “I am not like you,” said Ray one more time. He let out a slow breath and picked up the red jacket and shirt he wanted Benny to wear.

“I hope this works,” he muttered under his breath. Then, with one final glance around the room he walked away from his memories.

THE END.


End file.
